Pires: Wenger must win a trophy soon

Former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires insists that Wenger needs to find a balance within his team, and start to make cup success a top priority.

The Frenchman spent six years in North London where winning trophies was synonymous with the club as he played his part in two Premier League titles and three FA Cup wins.

Pires was keen to point out that Wenger was the focal point of the football club and that Arsenal need to trust that he will be keep delivering.

“Arsenal goes with Wenger like Wenger goes with Arsenal – you can’t have one without the other,” the 39-year-old told talkSPORT.

“That said, the results this season have simply not been good enough.

“But you can’t forget Arsenal have high expectations because of Arsene Wenger. He has done such a good job over all these years. You cannot forget what he has done for the club and neither should the chairman.

“It’s unfair to compare what we did between 2000 and 2006 – we had a great team, a great mix of English, Spanish, Brazilian and French players. But now a lot has changed. The club’s philosophy seems different.”

Wenger has publicly stated that he believes the importance of achieving Champions League qualification is an essential commodity and one which is underrated by supporters.

However, Pires insists the fans needs to see a palpable return for their support.

“The most important thing for fans and players is winning titles, be it the FA Cup, the League Cup or the Champions League,” he added.

“It’s been years without a trophy and I know that is very frustrating for Wenger. That should be the number one priority this year.”